Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

Maxson told me to meet me at dinner, but he never came.The queen came in alone, and when she sat down, we all bowed to her, and then we all sat down too. I walk around the room to see if there are any empty chairs, maybe he's on a date.But all the girls are. All afternoon I was thinking about what I had said to Maxson.No wonder I've never had friends, I'm such an idiot for that. Suddenly, Maxson and the king walked in.Maxson put on a blazer, but his hair was still messy and handsome.He and the King had been whispering all the time they came in, and we rose hastily to greet him.As if they were having a heated discussion, Maxson waved his hands to express, while the king kept nodding, showing a little impatient with his son's words.When they walked to the head table, King Clarkson slapped Maxon on the back hard, with a serious expression on his face.

The King turned to us, with a sudden enthusiasm on his face, "Oh, my dear ladies, please sit down." He kissed the Queen's forehead and sat down himself. But Maxson was still standing there. "Ladies, I have news to announce." All eyes were on him.What can he tell us? "I know that according to the rules of choosing Fei, we will give you a certain amount of financial compensation." His voice was full of majesty. I had only heard this tone once before, and that was the night when I was allowed to go to the garden.So fascinating when he uses his status to do good, "however, there are some new financial arrangements now. If you are second or third rank, you can no longer receive compensation. Fourth and fifth Levels will continue to receive compensation, however, the amount will be less than before."

Some of the girls' mouths were already gaping in surprise.Money is a big part of this thing.Celeste, for example, is already on fire.I think when a person has a lot of money, they habitually want more.Also, it must be maddening to think that someone like me can get something that she can't. "I apologize for the inconvenience. Tomorrow night, I will explain clearly in the Capital Report. Also, this is a non-negotiable situation. If anyone is unhappy with the new arrangement and does not want to continue, dinner Then you can leave on your own.” He sat down and began talking to the king again.Only, the king seemed more interested in the dinner than in his son's words.I'm a little disappointed that the family will receive less money, but at least we'll get some.I tried to focus on dinner, but mostly I wondered what the point was.Also, I'm not the only one who can't concentrate on eating, the restaurant is full of soft discussions.

"Why do you think this is?" Ding Ni asked quietly. "Maybe, this is a test." Chris proposed, "I guess some people here are here purely for money." Hearing what she said, I saw Fiona nudged Olivia with her elbow and nodded in my direction.I turned my face away so she wouldn't notice I saw it. The girls gave all kinds of inferences, and I kept staring at Maxson, hoping he would look at me so that I could pull my ear to signal him, but he didn't look in my direction at all. Mary and I were alone in the room.Tonight, I'm going to face Gavriel (and the people of the country) on the Ilia Capital Report, and the other girls will be on the air the whole time, not to mention the national audience will be watching and judging.To say I was nervous would be an understatement.Mary spun out a list of questions she thought the public wanted to know, and I just fidgeted.

Do I like life in the palace?What's the most romantic thing Maxson has ever done for me?Am I homesick?Have I kissed Maxson yet? When Mary asked me the last question, I had to give her a glare.I've been answering these questions simply and without letting myself think too much.But I could see that she asked this last question out of sheer curiosity, as evidenced by the smile on her face. "No! Please!" I pretended to be angry.But the question was so funny that I couldn't help myself giggling in the end, making Marie giggle, "Oh, you just...can't you clean!"

She just burst out laughing, and before I could stop her, Anne and Lucy rushed in through the door with suit bags in their hands. Lucy is more excited than when I saw her on the first day of my arrival, but Annie is full of scheming. "What is this?" I asked.Lucy came up to me and curtseyed briskly. "We've got your dress ready for The Report tonight, miss," she replied. I frowned: "Another new one? Why don't you wear the blue one in the closet? Didn't you just make it? I like it very much." The three of them looked at each other. "What did you all do?" I pointed to Annie's pocket hanging by the mirror.

"Miss, we went to chat with the other maids and heard a lot." Anne began to say, "We know that you and Ms. Janel are the only two who have dated His Highness twice, and from this Look, we think there might be some connection between you and her." "How?" I asked. "From what we heard," Anne continued, "she was invited to leave because she spoke ill of you, and the prince didn't agree with her statement, so he sent her away immediately." "What?" I put my hand over my mouth, trying to hide my surprise. "Miss, we're pretty sure you're his favorite, everybody says so," said Lucy happily.

"I think you're all mistaken," I told them, and Annie smiled and shrugged, noncommittal. Then I remembered why this conversation came up: "What does this have to do with my dress?" Mary walked over to Anne and unzipped the bag, revealing a dazzling red dress that glistened in the light coming in from the window. "Oh, Annie!" I was completely overwhelmed: "Your workmanship is even better." She nodded and accepted my compliment: "Thank you, miss, but we did it together." "It's beautiful, but I still don't see what that has to do with what you said."

Mary took the dress out of the bag and hung it up.At the same time, Anne continued: "As I said, many people in the palace think you are the prince's favorite. He has the highest evaluation of you and prefers to get along with you. Moreover, other girls have also noticed." "What do you mean?" "For your gown, most of the sewing work is done in the workshop below, where there is a lot of material, and there is a place for shoes, and other maids will go there. Tonight, everyone Blue gowns are required. All the maids think it's because you wear blue almost every day and others want to imitate you."

"It's true," Lucy interjected, "Ms. Dursdy and Ms. Natalie are not wearing any jewelry today, just like you." "Most women ask for a dress with a simpler design, like you've always preferred," Marie explained. "Still can't explain why you made a red dress." "To make you stand out, of course," Mary answered me. "Oh, Miss America, if he really likes you, you need to stand out. You've been so kind and generous to us, especially to Lucy. " We all turned to Lucy, she nodded in agreement: "You...you are such a nice person, it would be even better to be Faye Wong, it will definitely be great."

I want to find a reason not to cooperate, obviously I hate being the focus of everyone's attention. "But, what if everyone's thinking is right? What if Maxson likes me because I'm not as flamboyant as other people? And now you want to package me like that, won't it be counterproductive?" "Every girl needs a little sparkle now and then. And, we know most of Maxson's life, and he's going to love this." Anne said it so surely, I didn't think I could resist. I don't know how to explain to them that the note he sent, the time he spent with me, was just out of friendship.I can't tell them it's going to ruin their good dreams; moreover, I have to act like I want to stay.I do want to stay.I need to stay. "Okay, let's try it on." I sighed and obeyed them. Lucy was jumping up and down with excitement, and Anne had to remind her that it was very rough.I pulled the silky gown over my head, and they worked together to sew up the places that hadn't come together.Mary fiddled with my hair neatly to see how it would best suit the dress.In half an hour, I'll be ready. For tonight's special program, the background of the live broadcast room is arranged differently than usual.The throne of the royal family is still placed on one side as usual, and our seats are still opposite, but the podium that is usually placed in the center has been removed, and two high chairs have been placed instead. There is a microphone on the chair. Used for Friel dialogue.Thinking about it makes me nervous. The room was indeed filled with various shades of blue gowns, with some leaning towards green and others towards purple, but it was clearly a blue theme.Immediately I felt uncomfortable, and seeing the look in Celeste's eyes, I decided to walk around her and not go to the seat until the last second. Chris and Natalie walk past me, checking their makeup one last time.They all looked a little unhappy, although Natalie was indeed elusive.And Chris still looks a little different from everyone else. Her blue dress is gradually changing to white, like icicles melting to the ground little by little. "You're so gorgeous, America," she said, less like a compliment than an accusation. "Thank you. Your dress is so beautiful." She smoothed down the non-existent wrinkles with her hands: "Yeah, I like it too." Natalie touched the sleeves of my dress: "What kind of material is this? It will definitely shine under the light." "I don't know. As the fifth level, we rarely have access to good things." I shrugged and looked down at the fabric.I knew there was another gown made of this material, but it never occurred to me to ask its name. "America!" I looked up to see Celeste standing beside me, smiling. "Celeste." "Can you come with me for a moment? I need your help." Before I could react, she pulled me away from Chris and Natalie and walked behind the dark blue curtain of the live broadcast room. "Take off your gown." She ordered, pulling away her own gown. "what?" "I want your dress, take it off! Damn buttons." She struggled to take off her dress. "I don't want to take off my dress." I wanted to turn around and leave, but before taking two steps, Celeste's claws grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Ah!" I yelled, protecting my arms like a reflex.It looks like it will definitely leave a mark, and I hope there is no bleeding. "Shut up! Take off your dress, quick!" I stood there, expressionless, determined not to compromise.Celeste has to face the fact that she can't always be the focus of Ilia's kingdom. "I can take it off for you." She said coldly. "I'm not afraid of you, Celeste," I said, folding my arms. "This dress was made for me, so I'll wear it. Next time you choose a dress, perhaps you should Be yourself, not me. Oh wait, but maybe Maxon will see you a bitch for real this way and send you back, huh?" Without any hesitation, she raised her hand and tore off one of my sleeves, turned around and left.I was panting with anger, but because I was too frightened, I didn't know what to do for a while.Looking down at the torn cloth on his body, it hung like a piece of rag.Hearing Sylvia calling everyone to sit down, I could only muster up the courage to come out from behind the curtain. Mary kept a chair for me by her side.I could see the horror on her face when she saw me. "What happened to your dress?" she asked me softly. "Celeste," I said with disgust. Imega and Samantha, sitting in front of us, turned their heads. "She tore your dress?" asked Imega. "yes." "Go and report her to Maxson," she begged. "That girl is a nightmare!" "I know." I said with a sigh. "Next time I see him, I'll tell him." Samantha said with a sad expression: "Who knows if there will be a next time, I thought we could spend more time with him." "America, put your hands up," Mary instructed me.She deftly tucked the torn cloth in, and Imega helped pull out a few threads.Then, the dress looks like nothing went wrong.And the nail print on my arm, um, fortunately, it's on my left hand, so the camera couldn't capture it. It was almost time to start, and when the royals came in at the last second, Gavriel was flipping through the records in his hand.In a dark blue suit with a coat of arms pin on the lapel, McKesson looked spirited and calm. "Good evening, ladies." He greeted us with a smile. Everyone also saluted in unison: "Hello, Your Highness." "Just to tell you, I'll make an announcement first, and then invite Gavriel to the stage. It's nice to change the order, he usually invites me out!" He smiled softly, and we laughed too, "I know some of you are nervous, but there's no need to. Be yourself, people want to get to know you." As he said this, we made eye contact a few times, but hurriedly. However, I couldn't understand what he meant.He didn't notice the gown on me, and my maids will probably be disappointed. He walked to the podium and left us a sentence, "Good luck". You could tell something was going to happen.I guess what he's going to announce later has something to do with what happened last night, but I still can't figure out what that means.Maxson's little secret distracted me enough that I didn't feel like I was less tense.When the national anthem played and the camera focused on Maxson's face, I felt better.I grew up watching The Report, and McKesson never spoke to the nation like this.Wish I had had the chance to wish him luck just now. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Ilia. I know you all look forward to tonight, finally getting to see the twenty-five remaining candidates. You are about to meet these wonderful ladies, and my heartfelt I am looking forward to it, and I believe you will agree that any one of these ladies can be an excellent leader or a future Faye Wong." "Before proceeding to this part, I would like to announce to you a new project, which is very important to me personally. After meeting these ladies, I have a new understanding of the vast world outside the palace, which is a very important place for me. A world that I rarely have the opportunity to understand. Someone told me that there is unimaginable beauty outside, and there is also unspeakable darkness. In communicating with these ladies, I understand that the public life outside the palace is also very important. The suffering of the people, I decided to do something for them." What? "It will take at least three months to get this scheme set up, and around New Years, every provincial service office will provide food assistance. Anyone in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grades can go there in the evening and eat for free Good, nutritious meals. I hope you are aware that all the ladies present have contributed all or part of their grants to support this important project. This aid program may not last forever, but we will work hard to make it go longer." I tried my best to suppress the excitement and gratitude in my heart, but a few tears still fell.I know that there is still a very important link in the next step, my makeup cannot be ruined, but the gratitude in my heart has squeezed this point to the second place. "I feel that a good leader will not starve the people. Most of the population of Ilia is the lower classes, and we have ignored them for too long. So, I am going to take this step, and I hope others will Join in. People of the second, third, and fourth ranks... the road you drive does not appear by magic, nor does your house automatically become clean. Now is your chance to go to the provincial service office near you and make your contributed." He paused: "You were blessed at birth, now is the time for you to acknowledge your happiness. I will report back to you when this project begins, thank you for your time. Now, let us return to your On to the real reason you're on the show tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Gavriel Fade!" Some in the room applauded, but it was clear that not everyone was excited about Maxson's idea.For example, the king clapped his hands perfunctorily a few times. Relatively speaking, the queen looked proud.The complex emotions of the consultants were all written on their faces, and they didn't know how to evaluate the prince's actions. "Thank you for your introduction, Your Highness." Gavriel trotted into the background, and said into the microphone, "That's really good! If you don't want to be a prince someday, you can consider working in the entertainment industry." Maxson laughed out loud, walked back to his seat and sat down.Now the camera is on Gavriel, but, looking at Maxson and his parents, I just don't understand why their reactions vary so much. "People of Ilia, we have prepared a very good program for you. Tonight, we will dig out the freshest information from every girl. I know you can't wait to meet them, and want to know more about them What's going on with Prince Maxson, so tonight...we'll ask directly! We've learned from"—Gavriel glanced at the flashcards in his hand—"Celeste New of Claremont Sam let's go!" Celeste got up from the top row of seats, wriggled down the steps, and kissed Gavriel on both cheeks as she walked up to Gavriel before sitting down.Her interview was clichéd, as was Baliei's.They both go the sexy route, always leaning forward, wanting the camera to capture more of the scenery in their dresses.It was so fake, their faces on screen kept turning to Maxson to wink.Several times in the middle, when Vallei licked his lips deliberately, Mary and I would look at each other, and immediately turned our heads away, lest we couldn't help laughing. Others are more calm.Ding Ni's voice was as small as a mosquito, and she seemed increasingly uncomfortable during the interview.I know she's a nice girl, and I hope Maxson doesn't get rid of her because she's not expressive.Both Imega and Mary were graceful, the main difference being that Mary's voice was so full of excitement and excitement that it rose higher as she spoke. Gavriel asked a barrage of different questions, but there were two that recurred with everyone: "What do you think of Prince Maxson?" "Are you the girl who yelled at him?" I don't want to tell the people of the whole country that I scolded their future king.Thank God, for all you know, I've only done it once. All were proud to say they weren't the ones calling him out, and besides, every girl said Maxson was nice.Most of them use this word: nice people.Celeste said he was handsome.It made me feel awkward to say that Vallei said he was quiet and strong.Several girls were asked if Maxson had kissed them, but they all blushed and said no.After getting three or four nos, Gavriel turned to McKesson. "Have you ever kissed any of them?" he asked with a look of shock. "It's only been two weeks since they've been here! What kind of man do you think I am?" Maxson replied, his tone seemed light, but he was actually a little fidgety.I wonder if he has ever kissed anyone at this age. Samantha had just finished saying she had a great time here when Maxson called my name.When I stood up, the other girls applauded, to everyone we are so encouraging each other.I gave Mary a nervous smile, then focused on my feet and walked carefully.When I got to the chair, I found it easy to see Maxson behind Gavriel.When I picked up the microphone, he blinked at me, and I was relieved immediately.I don't need to win approval at all. I shook hands with Gavriel and sat down in front of him.Being so close, I could finally see the pins on his collar, details that were not visible through the lens at all, but now I see that it is not the line of a fortemark, but an "X" engraved on the In the middle, the whole pin is like a star, very beautiful. "America Singh, your name (America) is really interesting, is there a story behind it?" Gavriel asked. "Well, yes. When my mother was pregnant with me, I always kicked her. She said this child must be a fighter, so she took the name of the land before as my name, in memory of the time she died to defend this land. determination. It's kind of weird, but she's right, we've been fighting." Gavriel said with a smile: "She sounds like a very energetic woman, too." "She is, and I get all my stubbornness from her." "So you're stubborn? A little grumpy?" I saw Maxson put his hands over his mouth and smiled. "Sometimes." "If you have a temper, are you the one who yells at the prince?" I sighed, "Yeah, that was me. And now, my mom must be having a heart attack." Maxson yelled at Gavriel: "Make her tell the whole story!" Gavriel gave him a quick look, then at me: "Oh! What's the story?" I wanted to glar at Maxson, but the whole situation was too stupid to help. "On the first night, I was a little...claustrophobic, and I wanted to go outside, but the guards wouldn't let me go out. I almost passed out when one of the guards was holding me. Prince Maxson just passed by, so he asked them to open the door and let me go. out." "Oh." Gavriel sighed, tilting his head. "Yeah, and then he followed me out to make sure there was nothing wrong with me...but I kind of broke down at the time, so when he talked to me, I was basically accusing him of being arrogant and superficial." Gavriel was laughing so hard that I looked over his shoulder at Maxson, who was shaking too.What's more embarrassing is that even the king and queen laughed together.I didn't turn to look at the girls, but I could hear them laughing.Well, great, now they don't see me as a threat anymore, I'm just Maxson's entertainment. "But he forgave you?" Gavriel asked in a slightly more serious tone. "Yeah, that's weird." I shrugged. "Uh, so now that you two have a good relationship, what are you going to do together?" Gavriel got back on track. "We usually go for walks in the garden. He knows I like the outdoors. We just talk." I sound a bit bleak after all the other girls have said, they all go to the theater, go hunting, go horseback riding, than I do. The story is much stronger. But it suddenly dawned on me why he'd been popping up on everyone for the past week.These girls need something to say to Gavriel, so he needs to provide content.But he didn't mention anything to me, and it still feels kind of weird.But at least I now know why he is always gone. "Sounds easy enough. Would you say the gardens are your favorite place in the palace?" I laughed: "Maybe, but, the food here is so delicate, so..." Gavriel laughed again. "You are the only fifth level still in the competition, right? Do you think your level will make the chance of becoming Faye Wong smaller?" My answer came out without a second thought: "No!" "Oh, my God! You are so confident!" Gavriel was very satisfied with my enthusiastic answer, "So, you think you will beat everyone else? Will you save it to the end?" I really don't think so. "No, no, it's not like that. I don't think I'm better than the other girls, they're all great. It's just... I don't think Maxson would do that, he wouldn't kick someone out because of her rank. " I heard everyone gasp, and I went over what I said in my head, and it took me a few seconds to realize my mistake: I just called him Maxson.It's one thing to call someone by that name behind closed doors, but in public, calling him by his first name without the word "Prince" is too casual.Just now, I actually did this on the live broadcast. I went out of my way to see if Maxson was angry.He had a calm smile on his face, so he shouldn't be angry... But I was really embarrassed, and my face should have turned red. "Ah, it seems that you really know our prince well. Tell me, what do you think of Maxson?" I thought of several answers as I waited, trying to make fun of his laugh or say what he wanted his wife to call him by his name.And now it looks like it needs to go back to comedy, but when I lift my eyes to speak, I see Maxson's face. He really wants to know what I think. Now that I'm friends with him, I can't make fun of him in a situation where I can say how I really feel about him.How can I make fun of a man who helped me escape the heartbreak I had to deal with when I got home, sent my family delicious food, and when I went to find him, he rushed over to see if I was hurt . A month ago, what I saw on TV was a dull, distant, uninteresting person, someone I couldn't imagine falling in love with.Now, although he is not at all like the person I once loved, he is indeed a person worthy of love. "Maxon Swift is a beautiful example, he must be a very good king. He makes girls wear jeans when they should wear skirts, and when people mislabel him because they don't know him, he also Don't be mad." I gave Gavriel a hard look, and he smiled.Behind him, Maxson was very interested, "The girl he married must be a lucky one, and no matter what my future is, I will feel very honored to be his citizen." Seeing Maxson swallowing his saliva, I lowered my eyes. "America Singer, thank you very much." Gavriel shook my hand. "Next is Ms. Tallulah Bell." Although my eyes never left those two chairs, I didn't listen to a word of what the girl behind me said.The interview just now was much more personal than I thought it would be, so now I don't feel like I can face Maxson, I just sit there and replay what I just said in my head. About ten o'clock there was a knock on my door.I flung open the door, and Maxson was watching me and rolling his eyes. "You really need a maid to accompany you at night." "Maxon! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you that in front of everyone, that would be stupid." "You think I'm mad at you?" He came in, closing the door, "America, you always call me by my first name, so you're bound to slip up, I just hope it happens in private. ’ He gave a sly smile, ‘but I don’t blame you at all.’ "real?" "Of course, really." "Oh! I feel so stupid tonight, I can't believe you forced me to tell that story!" I patted his arm lightly. "That was the most exciting part of the night! Mom thought it was very interesting. Girls in her era were more timid and introverted than Ding Ni, but you said I was superficial... She couldn't help but recall that moment." Great, now the queen thinks I'm a prick too.We walked through the room to the balcony. As soon as we went out, there was a burst of warm wind with the fragrance of flowers. There was a big and round moon in the sky. Coupled with the lights in the palace, Maxson had a mysterious look on his face. color. "Well, as long as you think it's fun." I touched the railing with my fingers. Maxson jumped and sat on the railing, in a very relaxed state: "You have always been very fun, get used to it." Hey.He is also close to being humorous. "So... about what you said..." he began tentatively. "Which part? Is it me calling you a nickname, or fighting with my mom, or is food my biggest motivation?" I rolled my eyes. He smiled: "The part about me is good..." "Oh, what's the matter?" Those few words were suddenly more embarrassing than any other words, I shrank my neck and twisted the hem of my clothes with my hands. "I appreciate your efforts to make things official, but you really don't have to." I look up right away.How could he think so? "Maxson, that's really not for the show, if you had asked me what I thought of you a month ago, it would have been very different. But now that I know you, and I know the truth, you really are Like I said, even better." He didn't speak, but had a smile on his face. "Thank you." He finally spoke. "You're welcome." Maxson cleared his throat. "He'll be lucky too." He got off the railing and came over to my side. "Ok?" "Your boyfriend, when he regains his senses, he will beg you to accept him again." Maxon said matter-of-factly. I laughed out loud, in my world, this kind of thing would never happen. "He's not my boyfriend anymore, and, he's made it very clear, he doesn't want to be with me anymore." Even I could hear the sliver of hope in my voice. "Impossible, now that he sees you on TV, he will definitely be fascinated by you again. Although, I still think that dog is really not good enough for you." Maxson said like this situation he has seen thousands of times Over and over, it looks so boring. "Speaking of this!" Then he raised his voice a lot, "If you don't want me to fall in love with you, then stop making it so beautiful. First thing in the morning, I have to tell your maid, here you Sew some sacks for you to wear." I slapped him on the arm. "That's enough, Maxson." "I'm not kidding, your kindness and beauty make you more beautiful. When you leave, we have to send some guards to protect you, because you will definitely not be able to survive on your own, poor boy." He waved Make a gesture of sympathy. "I really can't help it." I sighed, "It's hard to give up on a natural beauty." I fanned my face with my hands, and it was tiring to act beautiful. "Well, I think you really can't help it." I giggled, not realizing for a moment that Maxson didn't think it was funny. I looked out into the garden and out of the corner of my eye I caught Maxson staring at me, his face so close to mine.When I turned my head to ask what he was looking at, I was surprised to realize that he was close enough to kiss me immediately. I was even more surprised when he actually kissed me. I immediately took a step back.Maxson also backed away. "I'm sorry." He blushed and said vaguely. "What are you doing?" I asked in a low voice in panic. "I'm sorry." He turned slightly, obviously embarrassed. "Why did you do that?" I covered my mouth with my hand. "It's because of... what you said before; also, you asked me out on purpose yesterday... it was your behavior... I thought you felt different. And, I like you, I thought you could tell ’ He turned back to me, “And… oh, am I really that bad? You don’t look happy at all.” Although I don't know what expression I have now, I try to change to a better one.Maxson was overwhelmed with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I've never kissed anyone. I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just... sorry, America." He sighed heavily, scratching his head involuntarily, leaning against the railing. I really didn't expect it, but I felt a warm current pouring into my heart. The person he wanted to kiss for the first time turned out to be me. I think about the Maxson I know now, a man who is praised by everyone.I lost the bet, and he still gave me what I wanted; and, when I hurt him physically or emotionally, he still forgave me.I get it, I really don't mind him kissing me. That's right, I do still have feelings for Aspen, and there's nothing I can do to change that.But if I can't be with him anymore, what's stopping me from being with Maxson?It was just my wrong idea of ​​him before, and that was nothing like the real him. I approached him and rubbed his forehead with my hand. "What are u doing?" "I'm rubbing away the memory just now. I think we can do better." After rubbing, I put my hands down and lean on the railing like him next to him, facing my room.麦克森没有动……但他笑了。 “亚美利加，我不觉得你可以做到。”嘴上是这么说，但他的表情充满期待。 “我们当然可以。何况，除了你和我，还有谁会知道？” 麦克森看了我片刻，很显然在想是不是真的可以，他看着我的眼睛，然后我看到有一种保守的自信在他的脸上慢慢漾开。我们就这样子沉默了一会儿，然后我才想起来自己说过些什么。 “天生丽质难自弃。”我低语。 他靠近了些，一只手臂环抱着我的腰，让我们能够面对面，脸凑过来时鼻子蹭上我的鼻子，有点痒。他的手指轻轻地在我脸上滑过，就像他害怕再重一点我就会碎掉。 “嗯，我想你的确是没有办法。”他吐了口气。 他用手扶着我的脸往他的脸靠近，低下头，他的唇轻轻地碰上我的唇。 这轻轻的一吻让我觉得很美好。他什么都不用说，我也能明白他对这件事也是既兴奋又害怕。而且，比这些感觉更深刻的是，我能感觉到，他是真的珍视我。 所以，这就是被当成一个淑女的感受吧。 过了一会儿，他退后一步问我：“这样好点了？” 我只能点头，而麦克森兴奋得想要做个后空翻了。我其实也满心兴奋，因为出乎意料。这发生得太快、太奇怪了。我的表情肯定有些迷茫，因为麦克森的表情也变严肃了。 “我可以说几句吗？” I nod again. “我不会蠢到以为，你已经把前男友完全忘掉了。我知道你经历了些什么，也知道你并不是在普通的情况下来到这儿的。我还知道，你认为这儿有别的女孩更适合我，更适合这种生活，所以，我不想催促你马上对这一切改观。我只是……想知道，如果可能……” 这是一个很难回答的问题。我想过一种自己从没设想过的生活吗？在他需要和其他人约会来确保自己不会选错时，我能平静地看待吗？我愿意去分担他身为王子所要肩负的责任吗？我愿意爱他吗？ “嗯，麦克森，”我轻声说：“有可能。”